Last year, as a Member Service Fellow, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the heart of LIFT’s work: Member service and Advocate management. I worked one-on-one with dedicated community Members who were eager to set goals and start their journeys toward financial stability and well-being. Additionally, I witnessed first-hand as college students transformed from intrigued bystanders to informed crusaders in the fight against poverty. It was a privilege to see how their new understanding and passion ignited a lasting commitment to raise awareness and end poverty. There is no doubt in my mind that LIFT touched Member and Advocate lives alike.
This year, I am able to round out my LIFT experience by supporting LIFT’s fundraising and communication efforts as a Shriver Development Fellow. I am involved in the “behind the scenes” work that keeps LIFT running. I research new foundations, assist with grant applications, organize and attend fundraising events, and help manage our communication efforts like the LIFT blog, Facebook page and Twitter account. In the past six months as a Shriver Corps Fellow, I have gained so much knowledge and utilized many of my experiences from last year to inform my work and continue to learn more every day.
One of the delightful surprises working in this role is getting to witness how LIFT impacts our donors as much as it does our Advocates, staff, and Members. We recently hosted an event at a LIFT-Chicago board Member’s house. At the end of the program, the board Member delivered closing remarks that brought tears not just to her eyes, but to the audience as well. She said she was in awe of the Advocates and AmeriCorps Members who have dedicated their time to LIFT. Reflecting on her own time spent as a twenty-something year old, she admitted that participating in this front-line service was not on her radar. As she spoke, she brought me to tears –I was moved by how LIFT had touched her life, and how inspired she had felt through our work.
Having been able to work with my peers, Advocates, Members and now LIFT supporters, I have truly realized that LIFT’s work reaches far beyond the confines of the office. LIFT’s impact can be seen in many different lives and in many different ways. The opportunity to delve into so many aspects of LIFT’s work has undoubtedly fortified my belief in LIFT’s mission and my role in the fight against poverty.
The Shriver Corps is a once-in-a-generation cohort of AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers committed to helping people across the United States lift themselves out of poverty for good. The program is a collaboration between LIFT, Maria Shriver’s A Woman’s Nation, and AmeriCorps, and was created to honor the legacy of Sargent Shriver, the founder of the landmark VISTA program.